To Change The Past
by AiKaughtPhyre127
Summary: Becoming an adult changes Scipio in more ways than simply his body. What is it going to take for him to realize that he's hurting the person he loves the most? What if Scipio begins to regret his decision to become an adult? Scip/Prop Slash.
1. Chapter 1 REVISED

**Title**: To Change The Past

**Chapter**: 1/?

**Pairing**: Scipio/Prosper

**Rating**: PG-15, possibly higher in later chapters

**Genre**: Angst, Romance

**Words**: 2320

**Summary**: What if the bullet had hit Prosper? What if Scipio begins to regret his decision to become an adult? Scip/Prop Slash.

**Author's Note**: I own nothing. It all belongs to Cornelia Funke.

I started writing this story about 4 years ago. Rediscovered the movie and how much I loved it, currently reading the book and wanting to finally finish this story. Of course my writing has improved much over the years, so I am revising the previous chapters a bit.

Please enjoy and leave a review!

**Chapter One**

"Prop. Prop, wake up". Prosper jerks awake at the sound of his name being whispered in the silence of the night. He quickly looks around the dark room to see who had woken him. He relaxes when he sees the familiar face of his friend kneeling next to him. He sighs heavily, dreading what he knows is coming. He and Scipio had talked for days about this. "Is it time?" he whispers, nervousness already digging into the pit of his stomach.

Scipio nods. "Come on, everyone else is asleep. We better go before they wake up". Feeling quite the opposite of his close friend, Scipio is very excited about their journey to the magical Merry Go Round.

Prosper sighs again and reaches for his shirt, slowly getting dressed, wishing he could somehow stop time and convince Scipio to reconsider his decision. He might have tried but he already knew it would be of no use. Scipio had his mind set on it. Prosper had hoped that Scipio would change his mind about going on the Merry Go Round. He just couldn't understand why Scipio felt this great need to become an adult, just to stand up to his father. Couldn't he see that there are more important things in life? Why would he want to rush something that's just going to happen naturally anyway? This just wasn't right. The only thing Prosper fears more than losing his friend would be Scipio regretting his decision and not being able to go back on it.

Slowly becoming aware that Scipio's eyes had been glued to his shirtless chest as soon as he had gotten up, Prosper shifts uncomfortably. There is something between them. Something Prosper wants to explore and develop. Feelings were creeping up on him that he had never before experienced. There had been a few almosts and Prosper is sure that they terrified Scip as much as they do himself. He supposed that this was just a part of growing from boy to man. But now Scipio is about to skip this whole step. Where does that leave him?

Crossing his arms awkwardly in front of himself, he asks softly, "Are you really going to go through with this?"

Scipio's eyes rise to meet his. "This is a chance that I might never get again. I have to do this. I can finally stand up to my father and all the other adults". He pauses and takes Prop's hands in his own, looking carefully into his eyes. "Just think, we can finally do what we want, never having to listen to others, never being told what to do. We could get jobs; support ourselves, instead of relying on others. Prop, this is a great opportunity. We can both do this". He murmurs. Scip leans forward and gently kisses the other boy on the lips. He slowly deepens the kiss, wrapping his arms around Prosper. Scipio smiles, as they break apart.

Prosper drops his eyes to the ground, not wanting to look his friend in the face. _He still doesn't see it. Why can't I make him see it? _Scipio grasps his hand and quickly leads him outside. As they make their way to the small boat, Prop tries to bring up the subject again. "Have you thought about what you're going to be missing? What you'll be giving up? Once you lose your childhood it's something that you'll never be able to get back. Can you really live with that, Scip?"

"Prosper, we've gone through this time and time again! I need to do this. Can't you see that as… as children, we have no freedom? The adults can do whatever they want; they can take everything from us. This is our chance. Instead of waiting for years, we can finally tell the adults to sod off, and live our own lives. We can finally be happy"

They both look up as they approach the island. "Come on, we're here." Scipio quickly gets out of the boat, while Prosper follows him dejectedly.

_I am happy you fool._

xxxxx_  
_

"_Prosper. Prosper!"_

_The young man doesn't turn around. But he feels another person slowly sit down next to him on his small make-shift bed that really consists only of a dusty mattress with a sheet thrown over it. It was all Hornet had to give him._

"_Prosper." Scipio says again, more gentle this time._

_He finally turns to face the older boy. Scipio swears his feels his heart break slightly when he sees the tear tracks lining the other boy's face. _

"_Oh Prop…"_

"_I shouldn't have left him alone," Prosper murmurs. "I can't believe I left him alone. I let him get taken by them." His voice cracks and he throws his face into his hands, angrily wiping away the tears. "How could I let him down like this? I promised him. I promised—"_

_Scipio grabs his shoulders and forces him to face him properly. "Don't you dare beat yourself up about this, Prop. You know as well as I do that this was not your fault. Bo is fine. They would never hurt him. He just misses his brother that's all. And we'll get him back soon. Don't you worry about that. We'll get him back, as soon as we take that ride."_

_Prosper's eyes widen. "You're serious about this?"_

"_I've never been so serious in my life. I want to do this, Prop. We need to do this."_

"_I—I don't know… it's…"he stutters, not even able to wrap his head around the idea. He had no idea that Scipio would really consider this._

_Scip leans closer, pressing their foreheads together. "I want to do this with you." He whispers. His hand comes up and he wipes away the tear tracks on the younger man's face. _

_Prosper stares into the other man's eyes. He's suddenly very aware of their close distance. He feels his heart begin to beat faster, pounding in his chest. _

_Scip closes the distance between them, capturing his lips with his own. His hands caress the other boy's face and Prosper's eyes flutter close. The kiss deepens as Scipio's tongue begs entrance into Prosper's mouth. Prosper eagerly complies and the two boys get even closer, wanting more contact. _

_Prosper moans softly as he feels Scipio's hand explore his naked chest. Having been used to sleeping shirtless, he never got the chills before. But now goose bumps were littering his back and he feels a chill run through him. _

_But then Scipio pushes him back, both men landing on the mattress in a heap and the cold is gone, replaced by heat coursing through his body and the warmth of another man on top of him._

_The kiss ends and both boys are panting quickly. Prosper stares into the dark eyes of the man above him. _

"_That… that was…"_

"_Amazing?" Scip whispers._

_Prosper can only nod. _

_Scipio shifts his hips and Prosper is suddenly very aware of the other man's arousal pressing against his own. The stirring underneath his own thin pajama pants causes his face to flush and he averts his eyes away from Scipio._

_But Scipio gently grabs his chin, forcing him to look up. He places a soft kiss on his lips, light and gentle unlike the one before. His other hand traces down his body, leaving fingertip light touches on his skin. Prosper's breath hitches slightly when Scip's fingers hook underneath the band of his pajama pants. Scipio blinks, his own uncertainty hinders him. He settles for resting his hand on the younger man's hip. _

_Scipio gazes deep into the eyes on the boy underneath him, silently questioning whether or not he should continue. This was foreign territory for both of them. He grinds their hips together again. Prosper gasps and bites his bottom lip to stifle a moan. Scipio can't help himself. He crushes their lips together again. His hand buries itself in Prosper's hair. Prosper's hands hesitantly come up to grasp the thin material of Scipio's t-shirt. _

_Prosper moans again as Scipio's lips trail down to his neck, gently kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin. His head is swimming as their groins rub against each other, only two thin layers of clothing between them. _

"_Wait… wait, I think we're… " Prosper pauses, not even sure what he's trying to say. "Aren't we moving too fast?"_

"_We'll go at any pace you want," Scipio murmurs into his skin. _

_Prosper's eyes close and he moans again feeling Scipio's hand rub his lower abdomen, kneading the soft skin. Scipio is still pressing their groins together. Faster and harder. His hand is grasping Prosper's hair, pulling gently. He feels his climax approaching. His lips find Prosper's again and he moans into the other boy's mouth. _

_Prosper can feel Scipio's heart beating through his t-shirt. Its pace matches his own._

_Scipio lets out another moan and Prosper can only hope that the others can't hear them through the thin walls. Scipio's hand clenches the flesh of Prosper's abdomen none too gently as his orgasm hits him. _

_Moments pass and Scipio halts his movements, his hands loosen their grip, and Prosper can only lie still as the man on top of him catches his breath. _

_Scipio finally lifts his head to look at the younger boy. Prosper looks back with wide eyes. A small smile spreads on Scipio's face and he leans down for another kiss. His hand makes its way down to the front of Prosper's pajama pants. Prosper lets out a squeak as Scipio begins to rub him through the thin material. Scipio takes his bottom lip between his teeth and bites gently. It takes nearly all his willpower to stay silent as Scip continues his ministrations._

_Prosper's eyes squeeze shut as his orgasm takes over him, making a mess in his pants. His head is swimming and he's pretty sure that if his heart were to beat any faster it would stop. That definitely felt better than any time he had done it on his own._

_Scipio rolls off of him and lies down on his back next to the other man, making him move over to make more room._

_Prosper turns his head and can only stare at the older boy. Their chests are still heaving as they lie there, slowly cooling off. He has the sudden urge to change his pants, or at least attempt to clean himself up a bit, but then Scipio rolls over to his side and wraps an arm around Prosper's waist and he realizes he has to throw that idea away._

"_I really like you," Scipio murmurs, sleep slowly overtaking him._

"_I really like you too," Prosper says softly. _

xxxxx_  
_

Scipio's face lights up as he finally lays his eyes on the glorious Merry Go Round. At the moment, he feels as if nothing could have made him happier. After seeing the magic it had done on the once elderly Conte and Contessa, he is certain that he too must experience a ride on this magical contraption. The Conte had offered them both a chance to become adults as payment instead of the fifty thousand. Scipio turns and faces his friend. "Prop? Well?"

Prosper looks from Scipio to the Merry Go Round and then back again. Slowly, he shakes his head. "Scip, I—I can't. I just can't"

Scipio sighs. "Why not, Prop? Think about Bo. You would be able to support him, on your own. You could make a better life for the two of you,"

"No. No, Bo wants me as a brother, not a father. He wouldn't want me to do this, so my decision's final." He whispers. "I'm sorry, Scip".

"Don't be sorry. I understand you're doing this for your brother. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm still going to go on the ride of a lifetime." He smiles as he turns towards the massive, wooden Merry Go Round.

As he starts heading towards the stairs, Prop runs forward and catches his arm. "Scip, please don't do this. I don't want you to regret anything. Please, just think about—"

"Don't worry so much about me, Prop, I'm not going to regret anything done tonight".

Prop leans forward and presses his lips to that of his partners. "Please. Please, don't do this." He leans his forehead on Scipio's and whispers softly, "Please, I don't want to lose you. I just don't want to lose you".

Scipio wraps his arms protectively around Prop, desperately wanting to stop the tears that he can see in his eyes. "Prop, don't be silly. You're not going to lose me. This is what I want. I want to do this. This is going to be wonderful".

_But that means that you don't want me._

Prosper nods. "Ok. If you're sure," He lets his arms drop from the other boy, and stands back as he watches Scipio climb up the stairs and mount the water creature of his choice.

As the creatures start to go round and around, Scipio waves as he goes by, laughing and whooping.

Prosper watches him as he goes around again and again. He tries to be happy for him, but he just can't ignore the tears slowly flowing down his cheeks.

Next to him, the Conte shouts. "Tell him to get off or he'll be an old man!"

As the ride slowly comes to a stop, Prosper slowly steps forward, looking to catch sight of Scipio, wanting to see if he is still the same person he fell in love with, or someone entirely different, no different than a stranger.

Prosper gazes wide-eyed at the man who steps off the stairs. Damn near unrecognizable, Scipio smiles, "Well, Prop, what do you think? Am I taller than my father?"

Completely speechless, Prop tries to smile back. _How can you expect me to be happy for you? God, Scip, what have you done?_

TBC


	2. Chapter 2 REVISED

**Chapter Two**

Prosper can't help but feel awkward as he walks next to the Thief Lord. Not only is the man now half a foot taller than him, but he also just seems different. Confidence radiates off of him. The air around him is different. They were returning from the Merry Go Round and on their way back to Ida's house. Scipio doesn't notice as Prosper starts to lag behind, now walking more behind him rather than side by side. He sighs softly as he lowers his head, nervously picking at a thread at the bottom of his shirt. He winces as another sharp pain shoots through his arm. He gingerly touches it with his right hand, hoping it's not broken. That damn lion's wing.

Scipio finally notices the quietness from the younger man. He turns around and gives him a strange look, "Prop, what are you doing back there! Hurry up!" He gives him a wide smile. "I just can't wait to show the others! What do you think they'll say? Ida and Victor will be so surprised!" He gives a laugh. "You know, I was thinking about asking Victor if I could be his partner. What do you think Prop? Think he'll take me in? Wow, I'd definitely be a great help to him."

Prosper raises his head to look at him, once again thinking how strange and different it is that he now has to look up when they were once both the same height. He smiles lightly, "I think that would be great for you, I'm sure Victor will agree with me."

Now that he has his friend's attention, Scipio continues. "Well, now that I'm an adult and I'll have a job, I can finally move out of my dad's house. I'll have to find myself a place of my own, maybe a small apartment close to Ida's."

Prosper bites his lip, wondering if he should speak his mind, or just try to be supportive of his friend. How can he tell Scipio how disappointed he is when the other man is so happy about it? "Maybe you could just stay with Ida, at least for a while. That's what the rest of us are doing. I'm sure Ida won't mind. She's always talking about how lonely she is in her house, and she would love to have you stay, Scip."

Scipio laughs, "Prop, I know you mean well, but I'm a grown man now. I can't be staying with you guys when I could get a place of my own. And think about this," he looked at Prosper, "If I have my own place, the two of us can have privacy instead of always trying to sneak around the others."

Prosper looks at him in surprise. "So… there's still an us?"

Scipio stops walking and turns to face him properly. "Of course there is. Why wouldn't there be? Prop, nothing's changed between us. You know that, right?"

Prosper looks at the spot on the ground besides his friend, wishing to look anywhere but directly at him. "Besides the fact that now I'm underage?" he said softly.

Scipio doesn't know what to say to that. He looks around them, as if something else could tell him what to say in this situation. "Well, it—" he pauses, carefully trying to think about what he wants to say. "It doesn't really have to affect us if we don't let it, I mean, it's… it's not a big deal…"

Prosper sighs, wishing that Scipio would realize that just because you ignore your problems, don't mean that they will go away. Seeing that they had arrived at Ida's house, he turns and starts walking away from Scipio.

"Prop, wait!" Scipio calls after him. He doesn't want to leave the conversation like this, knowing that the other man is upset. The last thing he wants to do is upset him. Scipio reaches out and grabs Prosper's arm. He jerks back in surprise when the younger boy pulls back in pain, immediately holding his arm tight to his body. _When had Prosper hurt his arm? _Prosper gives him a harsh look, but it's dropped as soon as Hornet runs up to him with a smile on her face. "Bo's back! Victor brought him back!"

Prosper races into the house, nearly running over Riccio, who yells at him, "Hey! Watch where you're going!" Ignoring his comment, Prosper finally stops when he sees his little brother lying safely on the sofa. Feeling as if a huge weight has been lifted off his chest, he quickly says his thanks to Victor. Prosper walks closer, almost unable to believe that he has his little brother back. Ida and Victor stepped aside to let Prosper take care of his little brother. They stand at a distance smiling as the two brothers begin to talk in hushed voices.

"Scip and I were just at the Merry Go Round," Prop says softly, hoping that Bo will agree with his decision not to take the ride with Scip.

"Didn't work, did it?" Bo questions.

"No, no it did," Prop said almost regretfully. "Scip's all grown up now."

"But you're still my same Prop!" Bo exclaims.

"Are you upset?" Worry flashes through his eyes.

"No, I'm happy," Bo smiles. His big brother had taken care of him all his life. He doesn't need to become a grown up just to take on the role of a parent. Bo is glad that Prosper is still the same Prop that he had known forever. He doesn't want anything to change between them. Bo reaches up and hugs his brother. Prosper smiles and welcomes the embrace, glad that although his relationship with Scipio had changed, the bond that he has with Bo would always remain strong.

xxxxx

Bright moonlight shines in through the open window of the room Prosper is sleeping in. In his deep sleep, he feels a small hand on his arm, slowly jerking him awake. "Wha?" Still groggy and confused, he opens his eyes half expecting it to be Scipio, who had often woke him up in the middle of the night to sleep in the same bed with him, as well as do other things.

Rubbing his eyes with one hand, Prop realizes that it is Bo who had wakened him. "Bo, what time is it?"

"Two thirty in the morning!" Came the soft reply.

"What's the matter, Bo? You should be in bed!" Prosper says softly, not wanting to wake anyone else.

"But I can't sleep, Prop" Bo leans in closer and whispers, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Prosper smiles, he never could deny his little brother anything. He lifts up the covers a bit, inviting him into his warm bed, "Now tell me again, why can't you sleep?"

"It's nothing," Bo says in a small voice, snuggling deep into his brother's arms.

"You know you can't lie to me," Prosper says sternly, "Now tell me the truth, Bo."

"Prop," Bo pauses for a minute, not quite knowing what to say, "You won't ever leave me, will you?"

Prosper's eyes widen as he struggles to look at his brother in the dark. "No! Of course not! Why would you think such a thing?"

"It's just a nightmare that I had. I dreamt that I woke up one morning and you were gone, and I looked for you everywhere, but you were gone!" Bo wraps his arms tighter around his brother, as if this would convince him never to leave him.

In the darkness, Prosper thought that he could see tears in his eyes. "Bo, Bo listen to me. I'm never going to leave you. Not for any reason, I would never do that to you! You know that. Don't you?"

Bo nods, "I know. But do you promise?"

"I promise," He smiles softly, "Now go to back sleep, it's two thirty in the morning, and you're going to be tired tomorrow if you don't."

Prosper watches his brother fall asleep and wonders whatever it was that made Bo think that he would leave him. He silently watches Bo's innocent face and thinks about how close he was to losing him. Bo is the most important thing in the world to him. Prosper would go to any length to protect him, to care for him, and to love him. He's positive that he would do a better job taking care of Bo than his mean aunt Esther.

Suddenly realizing that he is now wide awake, Prosper lets his thoughts drift to Scipio. He hadn't seen the man in days now. Whenever he does come around, it's usually only to see Ida or discuss business with Victor. He hardly spends any time with the children anymore. _Because he's an adult now._

Prosper misses the other man. He sighs, trying to remember the last time he had a proper conversation with Scipio. When was the last time they had spent any time together at all? When was the last time they slept in the same bed? It seems like ages ago that they were so close. Before Scipio's transformation, Prosper had berated himself, wondering whether or not they should tell the others about them, wondering what Bo would think of it. Now he wasn't so sure there was anything to tell at all.

"_Scip, Scipio. You got a moment? I was hoping we could talk for a bit… about—"_

"_Hold on a sec, Prop. Victor wants me to meet a client in an hour. I need to get everything together. Do you want to hear about the case? It's really quite interesting, I have to—"_

"_When… when are you going to be free?"Prosper interrupts him softly._

_Scipio looks up from his work. He sets his papers down and blinks at the younger man. "Um… I—I don't know, Prop. I'm really busy with all these clients, I'm sure I could find time to—"_

"_No. Forget it." Prosper feels his heart sinking in his chest. "Your work is important. I get it." He turns to leave._

"_Prosper, Prosper wait!" Scipio quickly stands and moves toward the younger man. He accidently bumps into the table, knocking his stack of papers to the ground, creating a mess of his work._

"_Shit!" He curses, quickly bending down to collect his papers._

_Prosper rolls his eyes, biting his lip in anger. He silently turns and leaves the room._

Prosper sighs to himself in the dark. Scipio said that nothing had changed between them. He couldn't have been more wrong.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3 REVISED

**Chapter Three**

Hornet steps outside, carefully shutting the door behind her as to not let the cold air in. As a chill blows around her, she shivers and tightens her jacket. She's looking around for Prosper. He hadn't been seen since dinner and that was a good hour ago. Bo had started to ask for him. Usually if one of them went missing, it would be Scipio who would go looking for them. But Scipio isn't around much these days. No, not since he decided to become an adult.

Wondering where Prosper could have gone, Hornet starts heading towards the river. She considers him a good friend. And they both look after Bo. She thinks back to the days when he had first come here with his little brother. He had been friendly, but shy. She had a small crush on him for a while, but she had quickly gotten over it, realizing that he would never return her feelings for him. It certainly didn't take long for her keen eyes to take note of the glances Prosper and Scipio would send each other.

As she reaches the banks of the river, she can see the young boy sitting on the docks. How could anyone miss that head of messy hair? Prosper is staring at the water, throwing small rocks in. In the dim of the dusk, Hornet squints and can just barely make out the island where the Conte had hidden the Merry Go Round

Hornet slowly makes her way towards him and sits down next to him. "Prop, what are you doing out here? It's so late."

"I'm just thinking," He replies softly.

"About Scip?"

Prosper turns to look at her, his eyes silently questioning how she knew.

She smiled softly at his surprise. "The two of you haven't exactly been trying hard to hide your relationship. I've known for a while now, since the Stella". She adds, "Riccio and Mosca don't know though, those two can be quite oblivious sometimes."

He turns back towards the water again, still silent, not knowing what to say.

"Trouble in paradise?" Hornet questions him.

"It's certainly not paradise," He mutters. He throws another small pebble into the water, watching as the ripples grow and disappear. "It's… it's Scip. He's changed, you know?" Prosper says softly, asking her if she understands. "He's just… different. He never has time anymore, he's always off doing his own thing, whether it's his new job, or living on his own, or rebelling against his father, he just…"

"Never has time for you?" Hornet finishes for him.

"Yeah," Prosper says, sighing softly. "Before… we would spend hours talking, even if we weren't talking at all, just being with each other, it was enough. It seemed perfect. Now I feel awkward and strange around him, it's like I don't even know him anymore. And of course he doesn't take any notice."

Hornet nods. She can understand what Prosper is saying. It's very obvious that Scipio is different, not just that his body had aged about ten years, but his personality had changed. Nowadays, he's almost like a stranger.

"We used to be so comfortable around each other," Prop continues, "Now we don't even speak much. He barely comes around anymore. Not that he seems to notice my absence around him."

"Scipio doesn't seem to notice much of anything anymore," Hornet's voice is strong and hard as she voices her dislike for Scipio's new attitude. "Not you, not me, or anyone else. A few days ago, Riccio asked him if they were ever going to do anymore 'cases', like we did back at the theater. He laughed at him and said that now he has more important things to do," She scoffs. "What could be more important than his friends? He's taken on a pompous attitude and I don't like it one bit."

Prosper shakes his head sadly. "I'm not even sure if he and I are still… together. I miss him so much. I try to talk to him, but… he never listens to me. He's taken to talking to me like I'm a child. Like I could never understand what it's like to have responsibility and be… grown up, like I'm really so much different from him." He sighs sadly. "He's so different."

"Prop, don't feel bad. It's not your fault he's so self-centered. It's no one's fault but his," She squeezes his hand trying to comfort him. "C'mon Prop, we should go back. We've been gone too long, Ida will start worrying,"

Prosper nods, and they both stand up, and begin the short walk back. "I'll try to talk some sense into him in the morning when he comes by," Hornet said. "Lord knows this attitude can't continue".

He smiles at her, "Thanks, Hornet"

As they walk in silence, Prosper can't help but think. Could their relationship be saved? Would they ever go back to the way they were? He sighs realizing that this was something only time can tell.

xxxxx

As Hornet walks towards the kitchen the next morning, she hears loud voices talking excitedly. She feels anger flow through her as she realizes it's Scipio telling everyone about another case Victor had giving him. It's all the man seems to be able to talk about when he comes by. Which isn't very often in the first place.

"…and then I discovered the painting underneath his bed, he tried to lie to me saying the paint was delicate and couldn't face sunlight…"

Although Bo is listening intently to his every word, Hornet sees Prosper staring at his bowl of cereal, idly mixing it with his spoon, not eating. She goes over to sit next to him, "Where's Ida and Victor?" She asks softly.

He looks up and shrugs, "I think they went out for a walk,"

They both looked up at the sound of Bo's excited voice, "Wow, Scip, you really did that all by yourself?"

Scipio nods, smiling.

Hornet rolls her eyes, exasperated. His stories may entertain Bo, but she and Prosper were clearly fed up with Scipio's attitude. Glad that Scipio had finally finished his story that only managed to entertain the younger child, she speaks up to him, "Scip, do you mind if I talk to you outside, it's kind of personal."

Scipio looks at her in surprise, but quickly nods his agreement.

Prosper watches silently as the two of them walk outside, before returning to his now mushy, soggy cereal.

xxxxx

Scipio and Hornet walk the short way to the small garden in the back of Ida's house. Secluded and alone they can finally talk in private.

"So, Hornet, what did you want to talk to me about?" Scip asked smiling. "Want me to buy you some new books?"

"You! You pompous ass! Do you even realize that you've become a self-centered, egotistic idiot?" Scipio's smile drops and he is left with a face of surprise. Ignoring his shock, Hornet continues, not even bothering to lower her voice. "All you care about is yourself, you never have time for anyone else, and your work is your number one priority!"

"What are you—?"

Cutting him off, Hornet just keeps going, "And what about Prop? Have you thought about him at all? Do you not see how lonely and depressed he is, or are you completely blind! You've done nothing but ignore him since you changed!"

"Hornet, what are you talking about? I am not ignoring him!" Scipio defends himself.

"When was the last time you spoke to him, spent some real time with him? How can you honestly say that you care about him at all? You obviously haven't taken notice of the way he's been moping around this place!"

"Well, it's been a while, but I've been busy, you know…" Scipio starts looking uneasy, thinking back on the past couple of weeks after his transformation.

"That Merry Go Round may have made you look older, but it certainly hasn't changed anything else about you. You're nothing but a selfish child. You're not ready to be an adult. If you continue like this, you're going to lose everyone you care about. Especially Prop," She pauses looking carefully at Scipio, making sure he's listening, "Do you realize he loves you? Scip, he misses you so much. You're never there for him anymore. He thinks you don't care."

Scipio looks away from her, remembering the times before the Merry Go Round. When Bo was taken by Esther, Scipio had been there comforting him for days. When everyone else had been mad at him for lying to them about having a father, Prosper was the one who tried to understand, who tried to listen. He was the one who tried to help him.

"Is he mad at me?" Scipio whispers.

Scip turns back to Hornet who sighed softly. She ignores his question. "In all the years I've known you, I've never seen you happier than since Prop came along. You two are perfect together, why would you throw that away just to fight against your father. Can't you see that you've turned into the very person you've grown to hate?"

Scipio's eyes widen. _No! I would never do that! How could she say something like that, I'm nothing like my father. _Scipio tries to deny it, but the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes what a fool he has been. _Why am I doing this for the person I hate, while hurting the person I love?_

Suddenly, he just can't seem to understand why he ever thought becoming older was such a good idea. _Oh, Prop. _He had been so busy helping Victor that he had never realized how much he had missed him over the past few weeks. And now it's too late to go back. _Does Prosper hate me now? What can I do to fix this?_

Xxxxx

Scipio throws back another shot and winces as the whiskey slides down his throat. He knows he shouldn't be drinking. After all, he hates when his father gets drunk. When the man drinks, he gets loud and mean, more so than he usually is. And now Scipio is doing it as well. But he supposes that it's true that alcohol makes your problems go away, if not only temporarily.

Scipio waves the bartender over, who pours him another two shots of the best whiskey they have. The shots glasses clink against the empty ones he had turned over on the bar. He runs his fingers through his long hair tiredly. No matter how much he drinks, he can't seem to get Prosper out of his mind. What is he supposed to do to fix the situation? He has no idea what to say to the boy, he certainly cannot face him. In another life, he would have called himself a coward, Scipio thinks dryly.

He hears a clang and looks to his right to see a young scantily dressed woman with her arms on the counter, her many bracelets hitting the surface. She waves at the bartender and calls for a drink. She looks down at Scipio who tries not to make eye contact, blatantly saying that he's not interested in a cheap hookup tonight.

"Having a rough night?" She asks, oblivious.

"Something like that," He murmurs, before slowly throwing back another shot. His head is spinning already.

"Might I help make it better?" She says with a smile, leaning closer to him.

Scipio gives her a dirty look, noticing her smudged lipstick and fading mascara. Loose women disgust him. "I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" She places her hand on his arm.

"I'm positive," He says none too kindly before downing his last shot. He pulls out a few crumpled bills from his wallet to throw on the counter and makes to leave. He's more than a bit surprised to find out that he's swaying on his feet. He had never drank this much before.

The woman grabs onto his arm, seeing him sway. But he throws her off of him, not wanting anything more than to get out of the hot, sweaty bar. He groans as he makes his way to the exit, unzipping his jacket in an effort to get more air. There's a pounding in his head and the loud noise from the people of the nightlife certainly aren't helping him.

He takes a deep breath as he reaches the coolness of the night air. It does help to clear his head. He begins to head back to his apartment, but then changes his mind as thoughts of Prosper once again filter into his head. _Ida's house is closer anyway…_

The next five blocks are a blur. Before he knows it he's in front of the small mansion that is Ida's residence. He fumbles around in the flower pot to the right of the door where he knows she keeps an extra key. In the dim street light, it takes him a good few minutes to get the door unlocked. A wave of dizziness hits him and he struggles to find his way in the dark. _Where does Prosper sleep?_ A small room on the second floor. That's it.

He stumbles through the house, leaning on walls and nearly knocking over valuable items. He finally reaches what he hopes is Prosper's room. He turns the knob and steps into the darkness of the small room. Moonlight shines in through a small window and Scipio can make out a form lying underneath a thin sheet on the mattress. He closes the door behind him and steps closer. _God, I've missed you, Prop._

Scipio takes a deep breath and tries to clear his vision. _That last drink is really getting to me. _He stares at Prosper's pale skin. The boy's skin seems to shine in the moonlight. Scipio stumbles onto the bed and falls on top of the younger man, pinning him beneath him.

Prosper wakes up immediately from his extra weight. He squints in the dark, shock very evident on his face.

"Scip? What the hell are you doing here?"


End file.
